Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with illegal and immigrationhttp://ask.metafilter.com/tags/illegal+immigration
Questions tagged with 'illegal' and 'immigration' at Ask MetaFilter.Mon, 02 Sep 2013 09:07:12 -0800Mon, 02 Sep 2013 09:07:12 -0800en-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss60When to tell a prospective partner about my immigration status?http://ask.metafilter.com/247735/When%2Dto%2Dtell%2Da%2Dprospective%2Dpartner%2Dabout%2Dmy%2Dimmigration%2Dstatus
I am residing illegally in a country (I would rather not say which one) and am dating. I reached out to a person on a dating site. We have only been on two dates, but I quite like them and the person seems very into me as well. I feel like since I asked them out the onus is more on me to tell them about my status than if they had asked me out. When should I tell? I want to wait in order to protect myself from even the slightest possibility of deportation, but I also want to be as honest and forthright as I can be to honor both the person I am interested in and myself. For what it's worth, I have dated a few other people in this country who have not cared at all about my status (one even thought it was hot that I was "casting off the bowlines" (ala this quote from Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."), but they were always the ones that came onto me first so I felt less pressure to disclose or prove myself trustworthy. Also, two were friends I knew from before I made this choice so that made it easier as, well, they already knew what was going on! <br>
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I feel like I should tell them before we sleep together (something I would like sooner rather than later as I am very into them) as they strike me as the sensitive type that might attach after that event (we are similar in this if I am right as I think I would, too). I do not ever want to make them feel that they have reason to mistrust me should things get serious. Seeing that, I also think that even if sex doesn't happen soon, it might be better to just put it out there in any case. They have also mentioned that it is hard for them to trust others, and I want to do everything I can to show them that I am being as open and honest as I can be and never make them feel betrayed. They seem like an incredibly trustworthy person, BUT they also seem like a bit of a stickler for the rules generally (not crossing cross walks on red even when it is 3am and no one's around, for instance). <br>
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I guess my hold up is that I am just worried that if I tell them now before I know them well, they might report me. My instincts say that that seems very unlikely, but you just never know with someone you have only met a few times. This would break my heart immensely as I love where I am deeply. <br>
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Also, I would NEVER and I mean never marry someone just for visa purposes UNLESS it was a purely platonic friend and even then, I would hesitate as it could disrupt their life in unforeseeable ways. I have had two friends make this offer and denied both of them because the situation wasn't quite right. Further, two people I dated and knew of the situation offered to marry me to solve the problem but I refused both as they were not ultimately well suited for me romantically and I would never take advantage. One of these people is still a very close friend of mine and would vouch for me to my prospective new partner if need be. I would only marry for a love that I thought was lasting and true (and if it had the side effect of fixing the visa, great, but that would never be the main idea). That said, I am very unsure of how to figure out fixing my visa situation and might be illegal for a long time or end up deported. <br>
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So when should I tell them? IS it ok to wait telling this kind of thing? Some of my friends say that it is ok to wait until after I feel more comfortable (even if that involves sex first and telling a month or two later) and some say to tell ASAP. What does MeFi think? If I should tell them ASAP, can you help me think of ways to phrase it so it doesn't seem like a Huge Deal. I get very nervous when I have to have Relationship Talks, especially very early on. This won't help matters if I need to tell soon. :(<br>
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P.S. Apologies for the use of "them" and "they", I just want to stay as anonymous as possible and this includes obscuring my gender.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2013:site.247735Mon, 02 Sep 2013 09:07:12 -0800AnonymousEl Nortehttp://ask.metafilter.com/206754/El%2DNorte
Illegal immigrant filter: I'm researching another short story. Civilian militias patrol US borders looking for illegals in the Southwest, but I don't understand the legal underpinnings. Under what US law do these groups operate that allows them to detain people and turn them over to the Border Patrol? How does the process work?tag:ask.metafilter.com,2012:site.206754Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:10:13 -0800Guy_InamonkeysuitHelp requested identifying a novel I read in the early 1990s involving Triads and illegal Chinese immigration.http://ask.metafilter.com/195150/Help%2Drequested%2Didentifying%2Da%2Dnovel%2DI%2Dread%2Din%2Dthe%2Dearly%2D1990s%2Dinvolving%2DTriads%2Dand%2Dillegal%2DChinese%2Dimmigration
Help requested identifying a novel I read in the early 1990s involving Triads and illegal Chinese immigration.
There was an American who was tasked with transporting a Chinese illegal alien across parts of the western US in an automobile (car or pickup truck). I think his eventual destination was WA or OR, and parts of the story were in CA, in a sweatshop (I think). The Triads were involved. Any candidate titles or assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you Thank you Thank you.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2011:site.195150Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:11:57 -0800RalphIllegal Immigrants in Collegehttp://ask.metafilter.com/86816/Illegal%2DImmigrants%2Din%2DCollege
Can anyone tell me the percentage of children of illegal immigrants who attend college? Specifically in Texas. We are arguing the HB 104 (in state tuition bill) in my government class and I need to know how many children of illegal immigrants who were not born in the US actually attend institutions of higher education....tag:ask.metafilter.com,2008:site.86816Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:04:22 -0800madmamasmithMarrying a 20-year visa overstayerhttp://ask.metafilter.com/51370/Marrying%2Da%2D20year%2Dvisa%2Doverstayer
My girlfriend is a very illegal immigrant living in the United States. When we get married, what will the residency process be like? About 25 years ago, my girlfriend (let's call her Jane) moved to the US from the Pacific Islands with her father, mother, and siblings. From what I understand of the situation, her father was on an L1 visa and the rest of the family were on L2s, all temporary visas. Those visas expired within a couple years of their immigration, and yet they have lived their lives here illegally for over 20 years. (Jane has a SSN and a passport that her father obtained for her while she was still too young to understand the particulars.)<br>
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Jane was in grade school at the time of her move to the United States. She went on to finish high school, get multiple degrees from a very prestigious university, and has worked for the last ten years at a very large US company.<br>
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Jane has been living illegally in this country for two-thirds of her life. She was a child when she moved here, and has no attachments to and few memories of her "home country". As far as she's concerned, the United States is the only home she's ever known.<br>
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Jane and I have been together for a while now, and I don't see us separating anytime soon. We live together, we do everything together, we have a beautiful dog we love very much - we're your typical DINKWAD couple. Neither one of us is religious, so marriage is little more than a legal construct involving the consolidation of assets, as well as a social affirmation of mutual affection. The whole "rest of your life together" thing - we've always just assumed that as a given.<br>
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Two things have happened that have made her illegal status more pressing:<br>
1. We'd like to go on an international vacation together, but if we leave the country, she will likely not be able to return.<br>
2. Her boss is pressuring her to go on an out-of-the-country business trip. (Her employer does not know about her status.)<br>
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So now to my questions: When we get married (I'm a full-bred citizen), what should we expect her residency/citizenship process to be like? If we're already married, can she be deported because of her lifelong illegal status? How long after filing for residency status will we be able to take our first vacation together? Will she have to worry about USCIS interfering with or jeopardizing her current employment? I understand from previous similar AskMeFi threads that it's a very bad idea to tell any lies to USCIS. What if they ask about her family? Can information gathered during her residency application process result in her family being deported?<br>
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Without any doubt, her situation is delicate, and we do plan to hire an immigration attorney. In the meantime, I would like to be prepared with as much information as I possibly can.<br>
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Thank you for any advice you can give.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2006:site.51370Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:36:45 -0800Anonymous